Ubi Franklin Professes Love For Iyanya Amidst Feud

The feud between music promoter Ubi Franklin and singer Iyanya may continue to escalate as both parties keep divulging different information about their dispute over Triplemg.

Iyanya, during an interview with Freeze on Cool FM had revealed his own side of his face-off with the music manager And Ubi Franklin also went to Cool FM to explain his side of the story.

This is a text transcript of the interview TripleMG Boss Ubi Franklin granted detailing the genesis to the revelation of his brouhaha with Kukere crooner Iyanya. Ubi’s words:

“I had to miss my son’s first Inter house sports just to be here. I shed some tears downstairs before I came up here…because that guy means a lot to me.

But shout out to his mom, She’s actually going to represent me today, you know, to make sure everything goes properly.

The Triplemg boss who agreed to state only facts and numbers said Iyanya threw him under the bus. He said ‘I am going to start from the genesis.

“Sometime, in 2012, we have gone to one of those top records label, I am not gonna mention names. They use to live in Omole ( Dotun: Are you sure that’s not P square).

We have gone to visit them, we had drinks at their pool side. And then they invited Iyanya into the house and then they had a conversation with Iyanya, with myself, Emma Nyra, Deetunes and Bassey. I’m sorry this conversation cannot be complete if I don’t mention their names.

When we were driving back, Iyanya broke the news to us that they wanted to sign him..

When they Called Iyanya into the house, I was not there, We were all seated at the pool side having drinks.

So, going home, I was fuming. Like why will you let them sign you. I was not saying that they were not up to signing you but I believe that the whole team that came here with you, we work hard for you to make sure that you are where you are right now and you are able to carry us. This is a team, so pulling you out is going to be a big situation for us. I made him understand that and then we drove home.

“It was in the night. We drove from Omole to. The next day we drove to Cool FM for an interview. (Dotun: Thats a long time)

When we went home, we talked about it. I then said, “I don’t think you should sign up for any record label. I believe what should be done is that, since there are a lot of people that believe in what you and I are building, we should make sure that we can support them too.

He (Iyanya) said noooo there’s no money. I said, “Listen when you start something then you find money. The easiest thing in my life for me to do is to look for money. Once there’s a product that can generate money, going to look for the money is easy. I will always tell people, don’t look for the money before you have the product to carry yourself.

So we had the conversation and we were talking, he now said, “listen he’s not cut out for doing music business. He’s not cut out for doing the business side of the music. I had witnesses there. Myself, Bassey. I don’t think Deetunes was there, it was the next day.

The next day, we were at the balcony where I used to live. I was squatting with somebody. Emma Nyra use to come around because the studio was closer.

So, I want to call the company a name. I now said, “Made Man Music” but Emma Nyra said no since there are two guys, it should be “Made Men Music”. I was like, Oh that makes sense. We chopped knuckles.

“Iyanya was pressing his phone. I told him, “we have found a name, let’s go and register our name. He told me clearly. He said, I am not Interested. He do company, as far my music and everything is, you can handle everything. I just want to sing.

So, I went to Abuja. There was a friend that introduced me to a lawyer. His name is Obinna. Obinna helped me to do the registration. Then company registration, if it’s not a lawyer nobody can do it. Now it’s actually easier.

So, Obinna got all the details. *Display the company’s first CAC Certificate that was registered. May 21st 2012.

I have a lot of documents that Iyanya had signed that will prove that this was his signature.

I gave shares to my brothers because you can’t be on the shares only you.

*Dotun: The first CAC document, Iyanya was not part of the shares from the beginning?

Ubi: Yes, And I can say that everywhere. This is proof. He said he was interested in doing the business side of music. We parted ways in 2016.

When we registered this company, business was not really going well. Things were actually rough.

So, In August or September 2012, we have gone for a top government official mom’s burial in Delta State. So when we alighted from the flight, I saw a lady carrying a bag. I now told Iyanya, I don’t know who that lady is. See that lady, go after her, help her and carry her bag. She might be the woman that can help us. You know we are looking for money, she might be the woman that can help us.

Iyanya went and helped the woman, they started talking and gisting, So I cut up with them. We were just talking. Then she now introduced who she was. She works at Access Bank at that time. She revealed that her kids love Iyanya and his songs. At the time Kukere was reigning.

Iyanya refused signing the document.

So when we got back to Lagos after the trip to Asaba, Delta state. I contacted the lady. I said, MA I know you work in a bank, things have been tough for us. We are trying to push Iyanya and everything. Is it possible for us, for your bank to give us a loan? ”

She now said, Yeah sure. Come to the office.

We went to their office in VI and we spoke to them and everything. And she said, can she see our CAC document. I brought that.

So when I presented the document, she looked at the document and found out that Iyanya’s name was not on the document. She now said, “Ubi, If Iyanya’s name is not on this document we can’t give you the loan because it’s Iyanya we know.

So I turned and looked at Iyanya, he put his head on the floor. He knew he messed up at that time because this is business for us, and I always told him, if I ask you to do something, let’s do it. Because it might not make sense now but it might make sense tomorrow.

She said we should go back to CAC and rectify the document. We went back to CAC in September 2012 and we got new document. This document shows Iyanya. October 2012.

Ubi then referring to Iyanya’s accusations that he has repeatedly forged his signature, He said, “I have never ever forged anybody’s signature.

I come from a very proper legal background and those that know me, knows that I was sent to school to read law. I know the legal implications of forgery. It’s the easiest way to go to jail. I would never do that.

Barrister Obinna made a mistake with Iyanya’s name. A lot spell Iyanya on the internet.

So when we came back, they approved the loan.

Freda Francis, I’m sorry to say this. She was the person that gave us security for the loan. To back up the loan. We pushed kukere to the next level. We did a video for ‘your waist ‘. We needed to push the face with the song, that’s why we acquired the loan.

We signed the relinquishing share document that says that everything the company’s make, we are going to make 50/50.

In late 2012, we had gone to Abuja to record a song. A young man (Tekno) walked into the studio. And started singing, “Ekaete loves to dance”. I was impressed. When I see a good talent, I’m up for it. So I was impressed. So I met him after the whole thing and asked if he was signed. He said yes for now. I told to let me know when his contract expires.

Iyanya doesn’t like Tekno and I have proof to prove that.

Later, Tekno called me and I sent him my house address. We were moving to a new house then. I contacted his lawyer. We did all the documentation.

Iyanya was on Tekno’s album, Ekaete loves to dance. I asked Iyanya if he remembers Tekno, on the music album. Can we sign him.

Iyanya told me point blank, I don’t want to be part of anything artiste. I want to focus on my career and I am not interested in signing any artiste.

I gave Tekno a room downstairs in our new house. Tekno said he can’t stay downstairs and believes he should stay upstairs. So I reasoned, he is not just an upcoming artiste because he already has his songs, holiday and Onyeneku singing on radios.

I went upstairs and told Iyanya, let’s take this guy upstairs and all that. Iyanya was fuming and said he doesn’t want to do it.

Freda Francis called me. She was there when all these were happening. She called me and said, ”Ubi, I know you are a great business guy and I know that when your mind tells you something that something is gonna be right, that thing will happen. Please if you know that you can do this thing and in the future it will turn out right, please do it”.

I said, you don’t need to even tell me, Me I know I’m gonna do it. Because we need to make sure that it’s not just from Iyanya.

Despite my partner Iyanya reluctance in signing the deal, I believe that Tekno was gonna a big star. I had no doubts about that. If you stay with Tekno you will love to even sing.

Iyanya never spent a dime on promoting Tekno. If he says he has spent, he should bring the proof.

I spent a lot trying to shoot Tekno’s video “If I dance. Things were really rough for me after I shot that video. It didn’t pick up as much.

In 2015, Tekno did Duro and that was when things picked up for Tekno.

On the 30 million naira, Iyanya claimed Tekno made and he got only N145,000.

Ubi said, I had bills to clear. Bills that I incurred trying to promote Tekno.

So in early 2016, Tekno has started making money. Iyanya came to me and asked why he is not making money from Tekno. And I told him, “Bro you can’t make money. You can’t come to me like that. You are even supposed to be apologizing to me for not bringing a dime to promoting Tekno.

Before we started making money, I had to transfer the management of Tekno because I had too many artistes to manage.

So Paulo tried to settle us. In New York. He advised I give Iyanya a percentage out of whatever Tekno is making. I thought about it and agreed. So after giving Tekno his own share, I and Iyanya shared the remaining 50/50. And he thanked me and left. I have proofs. Whatsapp messages. Iyanya got more than N145,000 from Tekno’s deal. I have proofs.

I had bills to clear but Paul said he was gonna clear the bills and any money that comes in, we are gonna take that money to offset his own side of the business.

From the messages, Iyanya said he was tired of Paul sitting down, collecting money and doing nothing. I told him, he needed to calm down. Because at that point, Paul was trying to help us close up a lot of bills that we had incurred.

This happened for about 5 months. And Iyanya left in July.

So when Iyanya was leaving. He said he wanted to leave everything, that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with the company.

In July, I started getting emails from him for a settlement contract. At that point, I didn’t know he was going to that label that he went to. So I didn’t know that the lawyer that came with was represented by***. You know the two labels are***.

On the settlement agreement, which I posted online, Iyanya relinquished his shares on the company. All the shares. He transferred the shares to me.

I sent my cousin to convince him not to leave. He sent me a message to me that I should help him set up himself. I promised him that. That was before he went to the other label.

I’m not addressing this issue again even if they bring the whole allegations against me. If anybody comes here to sit down and tarnish another person’s image, please ask them to bring proofs.

These are proofs of what I spent. Bills of food we ate. At shows. I spent money. I am a businessman.

If anybody is coming at me, they should come out clean.

I am not perfect. Neither is anyone listening to me. Iyanya should point one person he helped in this life. (Dotun: Ahh that’s getting personal)

I want to address this, music managers, we take all the blows. We take all bad vibes. Because you know we always do, we tell the artist to stay behind let’s go and do the dirty job. So perfect might hate me. Ubi you are this, Ubi you are that. Good, it’s because I do the dirty job. We are representing the artist. Because we know the fire the artist is giving us back.

Till December 2018, every now and then when I meet him. I ask him how far. Iyanya’s career is personal to me.

I don’t address anybody’s issues and after today I will feel bad for myself.

I feel bad for myself. I am here at the detriment of son’s inter house sports. I feel bad for myself. So for whatever reason, I am here to clear myself and put the records straight.

I am a business man, I don’t go out to defraud anybody. I invest in business. I run seven businesses. If I see a viable business that I think it’s gonna be, I invest in it.

Triplemg was a successful business, we paid back the loan.

Okay everyone, no matter what I say here, I might look the good guy to some people and look like the bad guy to some people. I’m not here to throw anybody under the bus. Iyanya, love youuuu. I care about you. You know that even before now, I always come through for you. I was always there for you but I don’t think that you needed to go this way to do this to me. I love you and I will always love you and I really really care about you.